Even More Marvel/DC News

Oh, Diamond Retailer Summit. Full of major announcements as well as tons of little gems tucked away in quick, off-hand remarks. Though IGN has plenty of coverage focusing on events like X-Men: Second Coming, Siege [of Asgard], Blackest Night and DoomWar, publishers made a variety of smaller level announcements for retailers, teasing them much as they do IGN readers.

We'll be honest - we're not in Baltimore. But around the Interwebs we found a variety of cool items that aren't big enough to snag that wonderful "Top Story" rotation on the site.

DC's official blog has a few great items on it. First up is the announcement of a Jonah Hex graphic novel, which is timed to release near the motion picture in May 2010. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are writing with artist Tony DeZuniga. Jonah Hex: No Way Back will cost $19.99 for 136 pages.

With Wednesday Comics recently wrapping up, many fans have wondered when and how the acclaimed experiment would be released in trade. While DC is keeping quiet on the timing, the publisher did reveal the collection would be a hardcover measuring 11" by 17" (that's big, just in case you're searching for a measuring tape). It'll cost you $49.99... but in our opinion the book should be worth it.

DC is also taking a page from the noir trend hitting the industry as of late, announcing The First Wave, a mini-series by Brian Azzarello and Rags Morales that will work with characters like Doc Savage, The Spirit, Batman, Black Canary and more within a noir setting. DC also announced Doc Savage and The Spirit would be getting their own ongoing titles, tying to the Batman/Doc Savage special and the First Wave mini-series.

But wait, there's more news...

Our friends at CBR have a recap of Summit presentation by Marvel, which contains all sorts of little items hidden between Siege and X-Men: Second Coming hype. First up, Captain America Reborn is being given a sixth issue to tell its story. In news that's sure to please many, Allan Heinberg and Jimmy Cheung are hard at work on a project called Avengers: Children's Crusade that will deal with the Scarlet Witch.

Just one note on Siege - Marvel revealed a teaser with the words "The Heroic Age" on it, indicating that brighter days might be ahead for the Marvel Universe.

Deadpool is enjoying a banner year this year, and his popularity has not escaped Marvel's notice. The character is actually getting his own mini-event called The Deadpool Corps. Reportedly characters such as Lady Deadpool, Kid Deadpool and Dogpool will be involved.

Stephen King fans have more to look forward to. Marvel has renewed its Dark Tower license, and plans to expand its offerings including a new series focusing on new adventures of the Gunslinger.

DC had several smaller, notable announcements, which include a Sam Keith graphic novel focusing on Arkham Asylum (though CBR didn't indicate if DC specified this was based on the videogame or not). The aforementioned Jonah Hex and First Wave projects were also revealed.

One last bit of news that will have many comic book fans cheering. Several months back, Diamond Comics made public its plans to not ship titles on December 30, 2009, giving the industry an unusual, rare week off. But DC and Marvel weren't about to let that happen. Marvel intends to ship a special Siege promotional book that will feature artwork and other content. The price? Free.

Not to be outdone, however, DC announced it too would ship something to stores on that "off week" as well. Its selected item? Blackest Night #6.

Stay tuned to IGN for more details on all of the projects announced this evening. No doubt there will be plenty more to learn in the days and weeks ahead.